Whales surround man paddling solo across Atlantic in nerve-wracking scene: ‘They’re so close’

An adventurer paddling solo across the Atlantic Ocean got a surprise escort on the high seas — a massive pod of pilot whales that left him both thrilled and scared for his life.

Tom Waddington, who is paddling from Newfoundland to England, found himself surrounded by the long-finned pilot whales after a morning drizzle on July 7, he said in a post on Instagram.

“This is so cool,” Waddington said on the video. “A pod of whales are just coming around the boat, playing around the boat. I love it but I’m scared they’re gonna hit my rudder. They’re so close, see?

“I can hear them, they’re blowing bubbles,” he said. “Wow. That is so cool. What a special treat. I’ve seen loads of whales but they just come to say hello.”

Things quickly get scary when one of the whales slams into his boat — forcing him to drop the camera and temporarily stop filming.

When he resumes there’s a worried tone in his voice.

“I’m two hours in now to roam with these thousands of whales,” he said when the camera is back on.

“One dinged the boat earlier but I don’t know what to do,” Waddington said. “I’m s–ting myself they’re gonna hit the boat. I can’t believe it. It’s an amazing sight but also so scary.”

According to the crew that’s monitoring Waddington’s voyage from land, the whales eventually swam off and let him continue paddling along toward land.

He’s undertaken the arduous journey across 2,000 nautical miles to raise money for MindCharity, a British mental health nonprofit that aids people battling with mental illness.

He still has a long way to go, but his crew is tracking his progress on this site.